Committee publication · Correspondence · 3 June 2026
Correspondence with the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls relating to questions following the public evidence session with the former Minister on 18 March, dated 22 May and 27 March.
From: Northern Ireland Affairs Committee
Inquiry: Ending violence against women and girls in Northern Ireland
Summary
Correspondence between the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee and the Minister for Safeguarding and Violence Against Women and Girls addressing follow-up questions from an evidence session on VAWG in Northern Ireland. The Minister responds on cross-border enforcement of protection orders, data inconsistencies across UK nations, and access to the Revenge Porn Helpline, outlining government action including a Hague Conference Working Group on cross-border recognition and Crime and Policing Act 2026 measures on intimate image abuse.
Key findings
- Civil protection orders issued in EU Member States (including Ireland) are enforceable in Northern Ireland under retained Regulation 606/2013, but the mechanism only operates one direction—Irish courts are no longer obliged to recognise Northern Ireland orders post-Brexit.
- UK Government is establishing a Working Group via the Hague Conference on Private International Law to develop an international convention on cross-border recognition and enforcement of protection orders; first meeting to be hosted in London in November 2026.
- Data on VAWG remains inconsistent across devolved governments with no UK-wide picture; government commits to engaging devolved governments via the 5 Jurisdictions officials forum and exploring new datasets including prevalence data for under-16s.
- Revenge Porn Helpline funding responsibility lies with Department of Justice in Northern Ireland; DoJ is currently engaged with RPH to extend service scope to Northern Ireland victims, work ongoing.
- Crime and Policing Act 2026 introduces legal obligation for platforms to remove non-consensual intimate images within 48 hours, benefiting all UK-based internet users including those in Northern Ireland.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Natalie Fleet MP, Tonia Antoniazzi MP, Jess Phillips MP, UK Government, Northern Ireland Executive, Department of Justice Northern Ireland, Hague Conference on Private International Law, Revenge Porn Helpline
Notable line
“… civil protection orders issued in EU Member States (including Ireland) can be recognised and enforced in Northern Ireland, without the need for any special procedure.”
Key Quotes
“Cross-border challenges, which particularly affect women in border areas of Northern Ireland, include difficulty in pursuing suspects into the Republic of Ireland and discrepancies in the support available to victims and survivors.”
“… this mechanism only operates in one direction: while the UK continues to recognise Irish civil protection orders under retained Regulation (EU) 606/2013, Irish courts are no longer obliged under EU law to recognise Northern Ireland orders, because the Regulation applies only between EU Member States.”
“… the UK recently made a successful proposal to establish a Working Group via the Hague Conference on Private International Law that will consider developing an international convention on cross-border recognition and enforcement of protection orders.”
“We recognise that data related to VAWG is inconsistent across the devolved governments and there is no UK wide picture we can present or measure progress against.”
“It is vital that victims of revenge pornography in NI have the same support available as the rest of the UK.”
“… the Department is currently engaged with the RPH with a view to extending the scope of its service to victims residing in Northern Ireland. This work is ongoing.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗